# cigar aficionado -- your thoughts?



## redryno247 (Aug 29, 2007)

I saw today that you can get a trial issue of cigar aficionado at no cost, and if you like it simply pay the invoice to begin your subscription. I was wondering if this magazine was worth the investment or if it's just hype/eye candy?


----------



## BigFrankMD (Aug 31, 2007)

redryno247 said:


> I was wondering if this magazine was worth the investment


No.


----------



## Troop_lee (Aug 10, 2007)

I received it for the last year, I was not really impressed. It has some good articles, and decent cigar ratings. But the bulk of what is not advertisements (those are 50% or more of the mag) is for stuff that is not in my economic picture.

I am going to look at Cigar press, it is new and being given out free at cigar shops. I don't think that any of my local shops have it so I e-mailed the editor/owner and he said that he will send me a copy to try.


----------



## IslandRick (Aug 20, 2007)

Cigar Magazine seems to have more actual cigar content. It is also my understanding that the monthly cigar ratings are done by subscribers. I've just recently subscribed to it but I've picked up a few issues at the bookstore. Here's the URL to the web site. Hope this helps.

Rick

http://www.cigar-magazine.com/


----------



## GHC_Hambone (Jun 12, 2007)

I got a subscription for free because I had extra frequent flyer miles. Some of the articles are interesting but I definitely would not pay for a subscription. Less than half the magazine is about cigars. most is about luxury items that I'll never be able to afford in this lifetime.


----------



## dayplanner (Dec 11, 1997)

Not worth the money. And I've only had one issue.

The cigar ratings are decent at best. No details at all.


----------



## montecristo#2 (May 29, 2006)

I think the last couple of issues have actually been better. The ten pages or so after the reviews where they actually talk about cigars and the industry are pretty interesting. 

Now the articles about Marvin playing golf, those are :BS. 

This is definitely more of a "good life" magazine than a cigar magazine. 

The best cigar magazine I have read is the ECCJ, unfortunately it is not easily available.


----------



## smokin5 (Mar 28, 2007)

20 pages of cigar-related info packed in a 200-page homage to Yuppie conspicuous consumption. Worth it for free, but that's about it.


----------



## redryno247 (Aug 29, 2007)

Thanks for the honest feedback. Given the comments here, I will likely take the free copy and then cancel, moving on to something else. Thanks again!


----------



## GWN (Jun 2, 2007)

Marvin's masturbatory opus (not the good kind) about his golf season in the most recent issue was the last straw for me. Try Smoke magazine. Not nearly as nice in terms of production quality, but the content is much more in line with those of us in the <$1million salary bracket.:tu


----------



## neoflex (Jan 3, 2006)

I'm not a fan. I read and subscibe to Smoke and Cigar Magazines which are mostly cigar related. Maybe if I were in a higher tax bracket and could afford to take my private Jet to Casa Fuente every weekend to buy 20 boxes of smokes than maybe I would be a fan but I never had the desire to subscribe nor pick one up at the newsstand. Bought two in my life and that's all I needed to make a decision.


----------



## Dgar (Sep 12, 2006)

Just so CA dosent get all no votes, I'll admit that I enjoy the Magazine, granted there are some articles that are of no interest, there are several I enjoy. It has lots of articles based on items far beyond my current economic means,custom Jets, expensive watches, and although I cant afford the Jets or the watches, I still enjoyed looking them over and reading about them, especially the watch artical it gave me some ideas for styles to look for on my Target budget.

The recent months cigar articals have seemed to improve, there was a great article on Don Pepin, and another recent issue had a fantastic article, on Cuba it's past present, and future. 

CA is not all about cigars if thats what your looking for, but still a magazine I enjoy. You will not find better cigar PRON... Love all those glossy pics.
CA is like the Playboy of cigars, it's said they both have articles, but the pics are what really sell the mag.

Anyone else notice in Cigar Magazine that the cigars in the reviews look weird, allmost like they put something on them so wrappers look nice and shiney.almost like they oil them down.

I say if you can afford it subscribe to both.


----------



## Cadillac (Feb 28, 2007)

I must admit I have purchased a few, but it needs drastic chances. A question and answer section would be good, maybe a product review section; How about talking about those awesome beads! On the positive side, I think they're trying to move in the right direction with their video blogs. Just my :2


----------



## Addiction (May 8, 2007)

I actually read a review of a cigar that said it was hard as a rock, it felt like old leather and tasted like cardboard in CA. They gave the cigar an 84. Thats when I was officially done with that magizine. Tho it is great if your in the market to buy like a diamond encrusted island, or maybe a boat the size of the QEII.


----------



## GWN (Jun 2, 2007)

Glad you mentioned Cigar magazine. I enjoyed the few copies I have received of it as well. Just can't buy it up here north of the border and they won't accept subscriptions from Canada last time I checked.


----------



## Mark C (Sep 19, 2007)

I'll be the dissenting opinion here.

It really depends what you want. It's not so much a cigar magazine as a lifestyle magazine, and that lifestyle is typically an expensive one. If you know that before you read, you'll be less disappointed.

I like the magazine. The only articles I don't read are the golf articles, I don't play, and I'm not interested at all. The rest aren't bad. I think the writing is pretty good, it's easy to read, and I'm interested in the majority of the magazine. I can't afford any of that stuff and I never will, but I still like reading about it. I love reading about Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, Aston Marton's, etc. in Automobile magazine, but not because I'm in the market for a car that costs more than my house. In fact, I'm less interested in the articles about cars I CAN afford.

Bottom-line, it's all about what you want. It's not a bad magazine by any means, it's just not really a cigar magazine.


----------



## thebiglebowski (Dec 19, 2005)

redryno247 said:


> I saw today that you can get a trial issue of cigar aficionado at no cost, and if you like it simply pay the invoice to begin your subscription. I was wondering if this magazine was worth the investment or if it's just hype/eye candy?


if you're looking for a magazine that's gonna satisfy your jones to drool over the latest aston martin and read about marvin's latest round of golf with "insert-celebrity-name-here", then the mag's for you. pretty cigar pics in the review section, though...

i really need to grab a copy of that european cigar cult journal thingie.


----------



## StayingWarm (Nov 2, 2007)

I'm in the Pro-CA camp as well. It's actually the magazine I most look forward to getting (I'm in the ad business, between work and home get apx 40 per month, so it's a big sample size).

Cigar-wise, the pictures are great (as many have pointed out) and think the reviews are good enough to get me to try new things (it does help if you understand Marvin's Wine Spectator/CA scoring system, where an 84 = Dog Rocket but 88 = passable smoke). Cuts both ways though b/c I'm NEVER trying a "Maxx" stick b/c of the horrific ads. 

I can't afford any of the "lifestyle" things and doubt I would drop $50k on a watch even if I could (I think most of them are ugly and I'd lose the damn thing anyway). It's still kind of fun to read about them. There are certainly more cigar-focused mags out there, but for me CA is a small way for me to enjoy (as the cover says) "The Good Life magazine for Men"

Cheers

StayingWarm


----------



## DoctaJ (Aug 10, 2007)

I do agree that a lot of the articles are about a lifestyle that only about 5% of the population would actually be able to afford. For example, in a recent article they were showing some clothing that they recommended. In the watch section, I think the cheapest one was around $6,000 and some were as high as $25,000-30,000. I also agree that the cigar reviews are a little too short and have very little in terms of detail of the taste, burn, draw etc. that you would expect to read in a good review.

However, there are always a few articles that can be very interesting. Recently these include a history and overview of the growing rum industry, an article on the high stakes poker players and their golf game and a mini biography on a casino tycoon in Vegas. They are very well written articles, but I do wish they would have more articles on the cigar industry and history.

All in all, it can be a decent read. I don't have a subscription, but I pick one up every now and again for a read. I believe a subscription is $20, which really isn't that high of a price. I don't have any other experience with the other cigar magazines mentioned, so I don't know how they compare.


----------



## TEAK (Sep 26, 2007)

I'll go in Barnes and Nobel once every two months or so and see who is on the cover. Like this past issue it had Tom Selleck so I picked it up. I know I cant afford the stuff in the mag but then again I also read International Watch and I can afford about one out of every 100 watches in the mag but I enjoy the read.
I will have to check out Smoke mag though.


----------



## redryno247 (Aug 29, 2007)

Again, this has been quite helpful. I am looking for more of a "cigar" mag, thus I made the decision to get a subscription to Cigar Magazine. I went this route for a couple of reasons:

1. the cost for 2 years (8 issues) was the same for 1 year of CA (6 issues).
2. you get a free Colibri Torch Lighter 

3. My wife was all for it!!!

Thanks for all the advice.:tu


----------



## Silky01 (Jul 16, 2007)

I just got it this year--i've looked thru about 4 issues; it's not worth it, IMO.


----------



## a2vr6 (Oct 28, 2006)

redryno247 said:


> I saw today that you can get a trial issue of cigar aficionado at no cost, and if you like it simply pay the invoice to begin your subscription. I was wondering if this magazine was worth the investment or if it's just hype/eye candy?


Only if you like a load of stupid Golf course reviews. If you like a good cigar mag with some cool articles go with Smoke Magazine. Big difference in quality, and it actually seems to be geared towards the average smoker. Plus, I can't stand Mr. Suckling and his stupid hair. :r


----------



## rick l (Apr 4, 2006)

I was gifted a subscrition for a year. I didn't renew for the same reason everyone else dissed it.I now read European Cigar Cult Journal every now and then. I get most of my cigar info from CS, the reviews and the helpful info is the best. Rick


----------



## Presbo (Sep 22, 2007)

GWN, Ditto's:tu


----------



## Simplified (Feb 18, 2006)

This place is all you need. I trust the opinions of the crew here much more and it is a two way street I can ask questions.


----------



## bolio (Sep 19, 2007)

how bout a CLUB STOGIE MAGAZINE?:ss











....sorry for the threadjack....cant help it....


----------



## Marlboro Cigars-cl (Feb 19, 2007)

bolio said:


> how bout a CLUB STOGIE MAGAZINE?:ss
> 
> ....sorry for the threadjack....cant help it....


Great idea!!
:tu


----------



## togliat (Oct 28, 2007)

Holy crap what a bunch of negative Nellies! 
I used to subscribe to CA and enjoyed it thoroughly.
I also like Cycle World, Automobile, Bicyclist and Maxxim.
That doesn't mean I can afford an MV Augusta, Ferrari, Orbea or...ahem...
But I still like to read about them in a slick magazine.
Life is supposed to be fun!

If we were stuck looking at and reading only the things we could afford, or only the things we actually "needed," it would be a boring world indeed. And we would lose our cigars in the bargain. ("Social engineers" might take care of that anyway)

CA is big, glossy, and fun. Plus you get one every other month vs. every Quarter (!) for Cigar Magazine. That's a 50% increase in the frequency you'll find it in your mailbox. So the 6 mags vs. 8 mags (over two years!) argument does not really work for me (it might for you though, and that's fine). Personally, I could see getting Cigar Magazine AND Cigar Aficionado.

Do I love Shankin or Golf? No. Is CA the perfect Cigar Magazine? Or even the best? No. But frankly, the subscription is only the cost of two or three decent cigars. Come on, people. Loosen up. Light up. Live a little. Magazine subscriptions are a very economical way to generate & capture some recreation time. And we all need more of that.

'Nuff said.


----------



## Woogie (Mar 6, 2007)

I enjoy Cigar Magazine. Every once in a while, I'll pick an issue of CA but it isn't that great in my opinion.

Woogie


----------



## dantzig (Oct 18, 2007)

I get CA for free and enjoy reading it even though I find their ratings nearly worthless and none of the rich lifestyle stuff is up my alley since I'm not rich. The interviews are the best part of the magazine.


----------



## Golfman (Jul 13, 2006)

Yea I am pretty much on the same page with everyone else here... Paid for a 1 year subscription but most of the articles are pretty bad... And all of the stuff in that magazine is wayyyy too expensive for the average joe to afford... so even the product reviews arent useful.


----------



## Ozone89 (Dec 29, 2006)

I'm a fan of Cigar aficionado magazine, and I can't afford 3/4 of the things they show in that magazine. However, I agree with the posters who say it's a "lifestyle" magazine. 

I like when CA focuses in on cigar friendly resorts and bars. I like looking at the pictures of Cigar smoking accessories, cause I have a passion for them. However they will show a certain lighter for $100.00 and I can get the same lighter through another website for $60.00. But..I like it cause it gives me ideas. This past issue, they focused on the T-3 Table top lighter from Lotus...one I've been preaching about. 

I'm also not a golfer so..I could care less about those articles. 

To me I look at it as..it's something to read while you're on the throne. Will I re-up my subsciption? Not sure yet, cause I'm not fond of "smoke" magazine.

It's nice to sit back..read..and dream a little bit. I will agree, that I wish they would focus a tad more to the middle class in this lifestyle...even it out a little bit. 

To be honest..I'm not sure if I would like a magazine 100% totally focusing in on stories about cigars..would get a tad boring IMO. Most cigar stories are the same anyways...the rollers leave Cuba..bring their seed with them..pop up in some South American country..then it's rags to riches..kind of boring after awhile reading the same stuff if you ask me. 

Bottom line is..I think Cigar Aficionado is fine..it's something to read to pass the time.


----------



## foxtrot7 (Dec 7, 2007)

smokin5 said:


> 20 pages of cigar-related info packed in a 200-page homage to Yuppie conspicuous consumption. Worth it for free, but that's about it.


You said what I was thinking. . . Cant wait to meet you at the herf smokin



Dgar said:


> CA is not all about cigars if thats what your looking for, but still a magazine I enjoy. You will not find better cigar PRON... Love all those glossy pics.
> CA is like the Playboy of cigars, it's said they both have articles, but the pics are what really sell the mag.


I agree get a subscription to playboy...Ohhh better yet I used to like perfect 10 it is more natural naked art *sigh* For some reason my wife didn't like my collection of fine art when we first got married so I have not seen one in over 5 years.


----------



## Slow Triathlete (Jun 14, 2007)

Just leave it on the shelf and grab a Cigar Magazine!!


----------



## Coffee Grounds (Feb 14, 2007)

I love CA 
I enjoy the articles. Some of the interviews with cigar makers are very good. They give you brief glimpse into the cigar making process. Then to get some background on the cigar maker I think is very cool. When the interview talks about the development of new cigars and what part of the leaf they prefer I think is interesting.

The review section I think is great. Now sometimes I don't agree with the reviews most of the time I think they are right on.

As for the high priced ticket items: Why not drool over what you can have?
There was one issue on the top resorts in the world. I think one room was $25,000 a night. Hell of room with a great view and I think the floor was glass so you could see the ocean life under you.
Cigars are an Icon for success!

They had one issue this year about Cuba and the embargo. It showed views on both sides of the issue. Great article.

As for all the advertisments. I think they are cool too. I discoverd 10 Cane Rum from CA. I love that rum right on the rocks. I found Jim Bean Black through CA too.

I really don't understand why everyone hates it so much.

I have had it for 4 years and love to see the next issue waiting in my mail box.
Then I think of what cigars am I going to smoke as I read.


----------



## nosaj02 (Sep 17, 2007)

I enjoy CA. Its great "bathroom reading" I dont even read half the stuff in there and pay little attention to the reviews but its not entirely a bad magazine. The most recent one had a decent article on Pepin and the reviews were half way decent. I only purchase it because it is really the only magazine I have access to locally that has to do with cigars. Ive only been able to get Cigar Magazine once so I have to work with what I got.


----------



## Addiction (May 8, 2007)

Mark C said:


> I'll be the dissenting opinion here.
> 
> It really depends what you want. It's not so much a cigar magazine as a lifestyle magazine, and that lifestyle is typically an expensive one. If you know that before you read, you'll be less disappointed.
> 
> ...


I agree with a lot of your points. I don't dislike CA because its a magizine about expensive things, I dislike CA because I don't understand in what world a cigar that tastes like cardboard by their own admission still scores an 84??? I mean I understand how the scale works but who thinks up a scale where 84 is equal to 0? Thats just unneeded confusion.


----------



## muziq (Mar 14, 2005)

Just received my second renewal notice for CA, and thought I'd post in the thread. Just can't bring myself to renew this year; I've gotten so little out of it, and my background as a freelance journalist makes me less forgiving of both the editorial pomposity and the sub-par writing. [sighs] I think I need to try one of the other pubs...


----------



## yazzie (Dec 1, 2007)

muziq said:


> Just received my second renewal notice for CA, and thought I'd post in the thread. Just can't bring myself to renew this year; I've gotten so little out of it, and my background as a freelance journalist makes me less forgiving of both the editorial pomposity and the sub-par writing. [sighs] I think I need to try one of the other pubs...


I'm not a big CA fan either and never seem to get much out of it. If I want info on watches, cars, whateverothergadget things etc..., I can get that info elsewhere. Way to many Ads. Not to threadjack but Heath, what other pubs are you thinking of? :ss


----------



## Poriggity (Dec 8, 2005)

I'm still on the fence about it. I don't like the way they do cigar reviews, but seeing how the "other half" lives is fun. That being said.. I am looking for something with more cigar content, so I will give one of the others a try. I never subscribed to CA, and don't plan to.
Scott


----------



## Benzopyrene (Jun 5, 2007)

Personally I prefer cigar insider. Seems to be a beeter investment than the magazine itself.


----------



## hotreds (Dec 4, 2007)

http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=131374


----------



## dustingaunder (Jan 8, 2008)

I've thumbed through a couple of the last issues because my boss has a subscription. There is about 10 - 20 pages of interesting cigar stuff, about half of it is advertisements and the rest is about $100,000 watches and shiz like that. Waste of time if you ask me.

DG


----------



## Soprano3695 (Jul 16, 2007)

There is nothing wrong with CA.

It seems that 98% of the posts on here are beating down the "Good Life Guide".

The Good Life Guide is a guide to recommend the BEST of everything. It is not "throwing it in our face" that we can't afford these items. It is simply the best of what is out there for aficionados of the good life. Aficionado by definition is....

a _person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a usually fervently pursued interest or activity_.

CA is the Good Life Magazine for men. Cigars are just one part of that.


----------



## koolbooy (Dec 16, 2007)

i go to a local book/magazine store and just read them over there lol .... i dont really like the magazine that much tho, plus all there ratings you can find online. just my 2 cents.


----------



## oceanelect4 (May 5, 2007)

i agree with the votes for smoke or cigar magazine. more articles that ive enjoyed. most shops will have a few issues arround. look at each and decide for yourself.


----------

